Castlevania series mastermind Kouji Igarashi revealed the second PlayStation 2 installment of his highly acclaimed series in a recent interview with Play. In Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, players will not control a member of the Belmont family, but rather the Devil Forgemaster Hector. It's the year 1479. Only three years have passed since Trevor Belmont defeated Dracula. The curse, unleashed by Dracula just before his death however, has sent Europe into a dark spiral of violence and heresy. Hector had once attained his status under Dracula himself, but since then thought to live a peaceful life. His old friend and former colleague as Forgemaster, Isaac had other plans. He implicated Hector's wife in a deadly conspiracy, resulting in Hector to head after his old friend. Hence the game's main theme will be "revenge". Igarashi explained that last year's Lament of Innocence was based on the concept of a "castle at night". In Curse of Darkness, players will not only explore the castle, but also the surrounding outside areas in their quest to find Isaac.

System-wise, Curse of Darkness will not only feature experience points, but also the introduction of a new gameplay mechanism. Hector can utilize the power of creatures known as Innocent Devils. While the Forgemaster himself can't fly, a winged Innocent Devil can carry him over a valley. These devils are created by devil forgery, which is powerful magic comparable to alchemy. The Innocent Devils at your disposal will grow as Hector defeats monsters in the game. Depending on your playing style, they will evolve differently. There will be five different types of Innocent Devils, which either do already exist in the game or have to be forged at a certain point on the map. Hector will be able to actively use one devil at a time, but can carry around several and switch between them, when the situations requires. The devils Hector can't carry around with him, can be stored in the shop of a witch. Hector can equip himself various types of weapons, such as spears, swords and axes.

Character designer Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane have been confirmed to be part of the development team, which consists mainly of staffers who already worked on Lament of Innocence, but also members of the Nanobreaker and Silent Hill development teams.

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness will be released in the US sometime in fall.